Subscribe

More

Subscribe

medium rare in all its glory

I’m really excited share that I was able to participate in this year’s New York Food & Wine Festival! I’ve never had the chance to attend before, so I was thrilled to have been granted access this time around. Thanks to LG, I got to cook with Sandra Lee to benefit the Food Bank of NY and Share Our Strength. I’m sure that all of you believe that no child should grow up hungry in America, but one in five children unfortunately do. Share Our Strength’s No Kid Hungry campaign is doing its best to end childhood hunger in our country by connecting young people in need with nutritious food, especially through school programs, and educating families on how to cook wholesome meals together while still staying within their budget. The campaign also engages the public to make ending childhood hunger a national priority. Through its Cooking Matters program, the No Kid Hungry campaign educates and empowers low-income families to stretch their food budgets so their kids get healthy meals at home. Cooking Matters participants learn to shop strategically, use nutrition information to make healthier food choices, and cook delicious, affordable meals. This is something I feel very strongly about; you don’t need to be into organic food or unique ingredients – it’s just about getting food on the table that was cooked up in your own kitchen. LG already donated $25,000 to these two charities, but you can help donate more. By going to the Fridge Battle website and voting, they will donate $1 for every vote, up to an additional $15,000, to help end childhood hunger. I hope you’ll take a minute and vote to help the Food Bank of New York and Share Our Strength. Thank you to Sandra Lee and LG for this opportunity and for calling attention to this serious problem in the US.

I always pounce on steaks when I see them on sale for a decent price, and that’s exactly what happened when I stumbled upon these beauties. I think that simple is always best when it comes to a nice cut of meat. I don’t need marinades or rubs or fancy sauces; just cook it medium-rare and let me have it, please. I suppose we did get a little crazy (just a little) with some garlic infused butter and fresh thyme, but just a few drizzles is all that’s needed for this dish. We used hanger steak, which is great for cooking quickly at a high temperature for a flavorful, slightly blackened crust and a tender, juicy center. To make the garlic butter all you’ve got to do is, yep, that’s right, melt some butter, add some garlic, and let it sit for a while. We served this steak alongside and roasted potatoes, opened the windows, and welcomed fall into the apartment, both to enjoy the weather and, let’s face it, get some of the smoke out of the apartment! It’s not a good steak unless things get a tiny bit smokey, and that’s a fact, even when you’re living in a tiny New York apartment.

Making some sliders with Sandra.

Digging into a whole chocolate cake? No problem!

Season the steak with salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, and, if you love mustard as much as me, some nice grainy mustard (but that’s optional). Cook for 6-7 minutes on each side, then cover with foil and allow the steak to rest for at least 10 minutes. In the meantime, chop your garlic and place in the melted butter with a bit of thyme.

Rub the steak with the salt, pepper, and mustard. Heat a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat and melt your butter in the pan. Add the steak and cook for 6-7 minutes on each side (6 minutes for medium-rare, 7 minutes for medium, and let's not cook it for longer than that, shall we?), making sure that there is a nice bit of black crust before turning it over.

After cooking on each side, remove the pan from the heat and cover with foil. Allow the steak to rest for 8-10 minutes. If you skip this, all of the juices will leak out when the steak is sliced and you will lose a lot of its flavor. When ready, slice, drizzle with garlic butter (recipe below), and serve.

Melt your butter in a pan or in the microwave, then add in the minced garlic and herbs. Stir to combine, then allow to sit for 5 minutes or so, until the flavors have melded together a bit. Drizzle over the steak and enjoy.

I can’t imagine how amazing NYCFF was. I’ve been hearing all about it. It’s great you’re helping out such a great cause too! I love steak perfectly cooked with just a little seasoning. Is hanger steak tender? I’ve been wanting to try it but wasn’t sure.

Oh, man. This hanger steak looks good. Medium-rare equals perfection; well-done should be made a felony. 😉 And you’re so right about going light on the sauce/rub/&c. Though I love a good crusting of pepper (try Penzey’s “Mignonette pepper, some time.), much more tends to overwhelm the meat. Ever look at a 19th/early 20th century cookbook? The sauces they put over their meats look incredibly heavy.

Cooking Matters!! That is a wonderful opportunity! I used to work for a Nutrition Education office and we had implemented the Cooking Matters program here in our little Northern California city. The program is really wonderful and participants learn a lot about cooking and nutrition. Bravo!!

Thanks for the recipe, I made it last night. I’m a barbarian, so I cooked the meat only 4 minutes each side and found I didn’t need so much of the butter sauce (which made for impromptu garlic bread so no worries there)). I also chopped and cooked an onion in the pan after the steak for a little more crispy goodness to top the steak with. My 9 year old daughter even ate it so you know it’s good (her steak portion usually gets chewed and spit into her napkin as I cry inside). Nice recipe, thanks for posting it.